Welcome to our newest feature in The Gazette, “Meet A Gazette Mom.” Every Saturday on our new Family Life page, our readers will meet an average mom with an anything but average life — after all, what’s average about raising kids, right? And no two mothers do it the same way. So, with this feature, an Emporia area mom will candidly answer a variety of questions from parenting tips to her favorite junk food. They may make you laugh, they may make you cry, or they may just make you feel like you’re not the only one on this journey called motherhood. This week Emporian Kristi DeBauge shares a little about her life raising Nick, 14, and Ashley, 10. If you would like to nominate someone (or yourself) for us to meet please e-mail Ashley Walker at ashley@emporiagazette.com.
Age: 41
Location: Emporia
Occupation: full-time mom, part-time accountant at Coca-Cola/Classic Vending
Family members: Husband, Jeff, 45; children, Nick, 14 & Ashley, 10
The most fun thing about being a mom: When Nick or Ashley will unexpectedly give me a hug and tell me that they love me.
The last time my child(ren) made me laugh: They make me laugh every day… just silly little things that I can’t even remember ten minutes later why or what made me laugh.
I carve out time for myself by: Multi-tasking. I also try to cram 30 minutes of getting stuff done into 15 minutes.
The television mom I’m most like: June Cleaver. She was somewhat old-fashioned and may have seemed like she was out of the loop. But I think she was aware of everything going on around her and could see right through that Eddie Haskell.
My favorite outdoor activity to do with my child: Hiking and snow skiing in Colorado. On a more regular basis, probably tennis.
The one think I wish I had known about parenting before I became a parent: How much you can worry about them.
The most important life lesson I want my child to learn: Responsibility and honesty.
Before I turn off the lights at bedtime, I say to my children: My kids are night owls and I fall asleep before they do, but I always try to tell them “I love them” before I doze off.
The kids’ toy or game I will never understand: Super Smash Brothers Melee for the Nintendo Gamecube. They call me a button masher.
The kids’ snack I am most likely to be caught eating: Everything. I have a much bigger sweet tooth than either Nick or Ashley.
When I have 30 minutes to myself: I like to sit down with a Diet Coke and read.
The future parenting moment I fear the most: I am trying not to worry about “what if.” It seems so many things work themselves out.
The thing about my younger self that I’d like to reclaim: Naiveté and wrinkle-free skin.
If I could change places with anyone, living or dead, it would be: I wouldn’t want to change places with anyone, but I am enthralled with reading about the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder and the childhoods of her mother, Caroline, and daughter, Rose.
The one thing I hope to do better as a parent in 2009: That I can set a good example for my children by not only telling them “to do as I say,” but also, showing them through my actions.